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Planning commission approves Gate of Heaven mausoleum and limited tree removals; staff requires like-for-like replacements
Summary
The commission approved a use-permit modification, architectural/site approval and tree-removal permit for a new 3,400-square-foot garden mausoleum at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, allowing up to 275 crypts and 224 niches and permitting removal of five European white birch trees with required replacement plantings.
The Cupertino Planning Commission unanimously approved a use-permit modification, architectural and site approval, and a tree-removal permit for a garden mausoleum at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
Senior planner John Martyr presented the application (M2024002) for a roughly 3,400-square-foot mausoleum with up to 275 crypts and about 224 niches. The proposed building sits adjacent to an existing approximately 37,000-square-foot mausoleum and chapel on the cemetery's western site. Staff reported the nearest single-family residence in the Oak Valley subdivision is about 760 feet from the proposed structure.
The project requests removal of five European white birch trees at the site and proposes replacement plantings; staff noted the municipal code allows replacements at a one-to-one ratio with 24-inch box trees. A commenter who visits the cemetery regularly praised the cemetery's upkeep and asked the commission and applicant to preserve a peaceful setting during construction. A second commenter asked the applicant to consider planting larger replacement trees where practical.
Staff said the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Section 15303 (new construction or conversion of small structures) and recommended approval of the use-permit modification, architectural/site approval and tree-removal permit. The commission moved and seconded the staff recommendation; the motion carried unanimously with one commissioner absent.
Why it matters: The decision authorizes a new mausoleum and allows limited tree removal on a 58-acre cemetery site; replacement planting requirements and design compatibility with existing mausoleums were part of the approved conditions.
